Data transfer between wireless devices

ABSTRACT

A method of data transfer between wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) is performed by a sending communication device soliciting environment information relating to active communication devices operating within the local area of the WTRU. The local area of the WTRU may be determined by an environment variable that may be configured to indicate a search radius. Within the local area, information relating to active candidate WTRUs is received through a communication peripheral. User actions on the user interface are converted to electromechanical signals which act as an input along with the environment information to select a target WTRU from the candidate WTRUs to receive the data transfer. The environment information and user input are used to uniquely discriminate the target WTRU as the intended recipient of the data transfer. Transmission instructions are generated based on the solicited information and the user input.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No.61/140,126 filed Dec. 23, 2008 which is incorporated by reference as iffully set forth herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This application is related to wireless communications.

BACKGROUND

In current communications, functionality that allows the transfer ofdata (such as files or digital media) between devices in both fixed andwireless environments is commonplace. Currently, data transfers may beperformed using applications such as electronic mail, or multimediamessage services (MMS) with the data being transmitted from one deviceto another through suitable technologies, for example, General PacketRadio Service (GPRS) or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). As thesophistication of user interfaces supporting data transfers hasdeveloped (for example, the emergence of touch screen and multi-touchtechnology), the user experience has been simplified considerably. Theseadvances in user interface technology may be seen in devices such as theApple® iPhone® and iPod Touch®.

Despite these advances, however, file transfers may still be acumbersome, multi-step task requiring adaptation between multipleimplementations. For example, many technologies involve a fragmentedapproach to access and manipulation of files such as attachments. Thesehurdles inhibit the more regular use of file transfer schemes inspontaneous situations. A simplified and more intuitive approach to datatransfer between devices is therefore required.

SUMMARY

A method for controlling communication of data in wirelesscommunications, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU)detects environment information relating to at least one candidate WTRUoperating in a local area associated with the WTRU. A user input isreceived via a user interface, wherein the user input relates to aselection of data for transfer between the WTRU and at least one of thecandidate WTRUs an to an identified target WTRU. The user input isprocessed as well as the information relating to the at least onecandidate WTRU. At least one target WTRU is identified from the at leastone candidate WTRU based in part on the user input. Information relatingto candidate WTRUs is solicited through a lower layer. Environmentinformation is used to identify the target WTRU and transmissioninstructions are generated to enable transmission of data to the targetWTRU.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description,given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 shows a sending and receiving wireless transmit/receive unit(WTRU) that may be used for data transfer between devices;

FIG. 2 shows a wireless communication environment for data communicationbetween devices;

FIG. 3 shows a target discrimination algorithm for identifying a targetWTRU;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method of communicating data betweenwireless devices;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of physical layer security for datacommunication between devices;

FIG. 6 shows a user input for transferring a data file between devices;

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a user experience during a data communicationbetween devices at a sending device and a receiving device;

FIG. 8 shows a user input for transferring a data file to a targetdevice, where the user input includes a directional indication of thelocation of the target device; and

FIG. 9 shows a user input for transferring a data file from a sendingdevice to multiple receiving devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When referred to hereafter, the terminology “wireless transmit/receiveunit (WTRU)” includes but is not limited to a user equipment (UE), acommunications device, a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriberunit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA),a computer, or any other type of device capable of operating in awireless environment. When referred to hereafter, the terminology “basestation” includes but is not limited to a Node-B, a site controller, anaccess point (AP), or any other type of interfacing device capable ofoperating in a wireless environment.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a sending WTRU 101 and a receiving WTRU 103whereby data is transferred between the WTRUs. The sending WTRU 101 andthe receiving WTRU 103 are similarly equipped. The sending WTRU 101 andreceiving WTRU 103 are separated by a communications environment 115that may include other similarly equipped WTRUs which are not shown forsimplicity. In general, WTRU 101, and WTRU 103 are each minimallycomprised of an application processor 105, a communication peripheral107, and a touchscreen/display peripheral 109. The communicationperipheral 107 may be implemented as a wireless personal area network(WPAN) device, for example Bluetooth®, Wireless Universal Serial Bus(W-USB) or WiFi® in ad-hoc mode. The application processor 105 may beequipped with software such as an operating system (O/S)/kernel 117 (forexample, Linux® or Windows®), middleware 119, and applications 113. TheO/S may include necessary drivers to provide support for the touchscreen109 and the communication peripheral 107 in addition to a file system121 for storing media. An application 123 (hereinafter referred to as“TapAPP”) may include application software configured to implement amethod of data transfer between WTRU 101 and WTRU 103. TapAPP 123 mayrun on the application processor 105 running a high-end O/S such asLinux® or Windows®, for example. The communication peripherals 107 mayinclude technologies such as a third generation partnership (3GPP)second or third generation standards (2G/3G) modem, Bluetooth® or WiFi®.Any combination or all of these communication technologies may beimplemented in a single component design. Other peripherals such as atouchscreen/display 109, may also be supported. Peripherals 107, 109 maybe operationally coupled to the application processor 105 through aphysical interface 125 which, by way of example, may be a serialperipheral interface (SPI) or shared memory. The application processor105 may provide support for the peripherals 107, 109 through drivers orgeneral application software.

TapAPP 123 may run on either or both of the sending 101 and receiving103 WTRUs. TapAPP 123 may run on any communications device, and may berun in a send or receive mode. TapAPP 123 runs on the embedded O/S 117and may be implemented as a native application, a Java® application orany other suitable type of application on the WTRUs 101, 103. TapAPP 123may be a stand alone application 113 or may be tightly bound tomiddleware 119 thereby providing a background process, giving the useran “always on” usage experience. Additionally or alternatively, TapAPP123 may be implemented as a plug-in application that may be launched bya user as needed in a manner known in the art. TapAPP 123 may providedisplay features to indicate a current state of the application (i.e.send or receive mode). For example, while in send mode, TapAPP 123 mayallow the user to access and display a media file, such as a digitalphotograph for transfer, on the touchscreen/display 109. In onerepresentation of receive mode, TapAPP 123 may provide a touch point onthe screen 109 or illuminate a touch point upon the user touching thetouchscreen 109, thereby enabling the user to access the underlyingfunctionality of TapAPP 123 and receive the data transfer from thesending WTRU 101. The underlying mechanics and technologies oftouchscreens and displays are beyond the scope of this disclosure andare therefore omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring to FIG. 2, a WTRU 101 configured for communicating data totarget WTRU 101 _(c,t) is shown. The WTRU 101 comprises a user interface(UI) 109, a processor 105, a communication peripheral 107, and anantenna 209. Other components located within the WTRU 101, for example,are a transmitter and receiver, but are not shown to avoid obfuscatingthe data communication illustration of FIG. 2. The communicationperipheral 107 operates in the lower layers, for example, the physical(PHY) communication layer. The communication peripheral 107 receives andprocesses information relating to the electromagnetic environment inwhich the WTRU 101 is operating. The electromagnetic environment(hereafter referred to as local areas 211, 213) contains informationbeing provided by the energy emanating from other WTRUs 101 _(c)operating within the local areas 211, 213 of the WTRU 101.

The local area in which WTRU 101 is operating may be configured to be asmaller radius of communication as identified by 213, or the local areamay be configured to be a larger radius as identified by 211. The radiusthat defines the local areas 211, 213 may be configured at the WTRU 101by a user-defined variable that defines a search radius with respect tothe WTRU 101. Additionally, the local area in which the WTRU 101 isoperating may be defined by any other appropriate manner. Thecommunication peripheral 107 receives and maintains the environmentinformation relating to the WTRUs 101 _(c) operating within the localareas 211, 213.

WTRUs 101 _(c) operating within the local areas 211, 213 of WTRU 101 arereferred to as candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) because they are potentialrecipients of data to be communicated by WTRU 101. As shown in FIG. 2,there may be more than one candidate WTRU 101 _(c) as indicated by theWTRUs denoted with a “c”. Candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) may be WTRUssimilarly equipped like WTRU 101. From the candidate WTRUs 101 _(c), atleast one target WTRU 101 _(c,t) will be selected. FIG. 2 shows only onetarget WTRU 101 _(c,t), but there may be more than one target WTRU 101_(c,t) selected from the candidate WTRUs 101 _(c). For example, one WTRU101 configured to communicate data to another WTRU, may communicate datato one or a multitude of other WTRUs selected from a set of candidateWTRUs 101 _(c).

WTRU 101 comprises a UI 109 which may allow a user to provide user inputto the WTRU 101. Through the UI 109, the user may provide userpreferences relating to the communication of data from the WTRU 101. TheUI 109, may be implemented, for example, in a touchscreen/display. Usinga touchscreen display, the user may provide gestural actions to indicateuser preferences. The user's gestures may be directed to some visualdepiction displayed on the touchscreen/display. The user may manipulatethe visual depiction through a pre-defined gesture that is indicative ofthe user's preferences regarding the data communication. For example,the visual depiction may identify a selected media element stored in theWTRU 101. The user may manipulate the visual depiction of the mediaelement to indicate the movement of the media element through the localareas 211, 213, in which the WTRU 101 is operating. Such movement, forexample, may include distance denoted by the speed at which the visualdepiction is moved across the UI 109, or alternatively by the pressureexerted on the surface of the UI 109 by the user. Other gestural inputsmay be defined to indicate user preferences. Direction of a datacommunication within the local areas 211, 213 where the WTRU 101 isoperating may be indicated by a movement of the visual depiction in thedirection to indicate the direction of the data communication. Thus, forexample, if the user wishes a data communication to occur between theuser's WTRU 101 and another WTRU operating in local areas 211, 213 (i.e.the user has identified a desired target WTRU 101 _(c,t)), the user mayprovide a gesture via the UI 109 that is representative of the distanceand direction of the selected target WTRU 101 _(c,t) with respect to thesending WTRU 101.

WTRU 101 includes a processor 105 that is configurable to processinformation from the UI 109 and the communication peripheral 107.Electromechanical signals from the UI 109 are provided as inputs to theprocessor 105. Processor 105 may be configurable to execute machinereadable instructions stored in any type of memory. Processor 105 isalso configured to receive environment information stored by thecommunication peripheral 107. The environment information and the userinput are then used as inputs to the processor 105 and are processed toidentify a target WTRU 101 _(c,t). The electromechanical inputs from theUI 109, which may include for example, an indication of direction anddistance, are then correlated to the environment information stored atthe lower layers by the communication peripheral 107. Based on thecorrelation, a identification of at least one target WTRU 101 _(c,t) isdetermined and a data communication from the WTRU 101 may be transmittedto the identified target WTRU 101 _(c,t).

The lower level information is provided to the application processor 105according to the communication technology being used. For example, theinformation available to the application processor 205 may vary based onan implementation using a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)technology, an Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE)standard such as WiFi, or some other communication technology. Forexample IEEE 802.21 standard may be used where the TapAPP may registerwith an 802.21 client or other proprietary client to access and processlower layer information. Specific information relevant to the TapAPP'sidentification of a target WTRU 101 _(c,t) may be provided from thecommunications peripheral 107.

FIG. 3 shows inputs that may be used to drive a target discriminationalgorithm 313 that uniquely identifies a target WTRU for transfer ofdata. Possible inputs include environment information 301, receiverinformation 303, touchscreen information 305 and other information 307,such as WTRU 101 orientation for example where the WTRU 101 includes anaccelerometer and supporting drivers. After processing the availableinputs 301, 303, 305, and 307 by the application processor 105 through atarget discrimination algorithm 313, configuration information 309 andtransmission instructions 311 are generated as outputs.

The environment information 301 may, for example, be generated asfollows. The application processor 105 may process instructions toperiodically solicit information from the communication peripheral 107relating to candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) operating in the local areas 211,213 of a communicating WTRU 101. A configuration variable may beprovided that allows the end user to define a search radius (e.g. 2-3 m)in which to solicit information. Devices outside the configured searchradius will be excluded from received environment information.Throughout the timeframe that the application processor 105 is running adata communication application, the solicited information will beregenerated or updated. Upon receiving a user input indicating a datacommunication is desired, the solicited environment information 301 maybe refreshed. The information collected regarding the candidate WTRUs101 _(c) is included in the environment information 301 and may be usedas an input to the target discrimination algorithm 313. In anembodiment, environment information 301 may be solicited by alocalization method. For example, in a mesh network or a sensor network,the solicitation may include both the neighboring devices as well asindependent device elements that enable the location and identity ofeach candidate WTRU to be determined accurately. Such a network may becomprised of independent sensors that respond to the communicationperipheral 107 of the communicating WTRU 101, or may include thecandidate WTRUs 101 _(c), operating in the local areas 211, 213 of thecommunicating WTRU 101.

The environment information 301 may be gathered via a service discoveryprotocol (SDP) such as currently available in protocols such asBluetooth®, for example. This protocol allows the WTRU 101 to discoverthe services (e.g. TapAPP as described herein) that are supported byother WTRUs operating in the local environment. An application such asTapAPP described above may invoke SDP functionality to discover all ofthe TapAPP enabled WTRUs operating in a particular location. Forexample, a Bluetooth® connection may be used to implement a SDP for thispurpose. A radio dialog between the WTRU 101 and one or more candidateWTRUs 101 _(c) is established according to the defined SDP. Informationreceived in the radio dialog may be analyzed and filtered (e.g. powerlevel, or quality of a received signal) to determine the individualcandidate WTRUs 101 _(c) or set of candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) in a localproximity. When a set of candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) is determined, asecond level of search radius granularity may be applied by furtherdefined radio dialogs between the WTRU 101 and a subset of candidateWTRUs 101 _(c). In addition to the SDP information directly discoverableby the WTRU 101 _(c) each candidate WTRU 101 _(c) may exchangeadditional locally gathered information (e.g. GPS, or other locationinformation gathered via a localization scheme) with other candidateWTRUs 101 _(c). On a condition that a sufficient number of candidateWTRUs 101 _(c) are identified by the SDP, triangulation mechanisms maybe implemented to establish a view of relative locations between a setof identified candidate WTRUs 101 _(c). The entire environment discoveryprocedure may be implemented continuously and in real-time while theTapAPP is running on all the candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) with the TapAPPcapabilities to update and maintain a real-time local map that ispreserved in each instance of the TapAPP.

The receiver information 303, may be generated according to thefollowing example. During data communication, send and receiveoperations are initiated between a sending WTRU 101 and a target WTRU101 _(c,t). The user of the sending WTRU 101 initiates, through a userinput, a send operation for a selected media element. On the receivingside, the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) user may touch and hold the touchscreenof the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) for all or part of the transfer process.The user input of the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) may result in the targetWTRU 101 _(c,t) transmitting a radio signal to the sending WTRU 101, forexample, an acknowledgement signal, the radio signal may be reported tothe application processor 105. This receiver information 303 may serveas an input to the target discrimination algorithm 313.

A user input received from the UI 109, for example atouchscreen/display, may be translated into application signals by thetouchscreen/display 109 or processor 105. This touchscreen information305 is input to the target discrimination algorithm 313 to identify atarget WTRU 101 _(c,t). Touchscreen information 305 may include a filereference, speed, pressure, acceleration, timing information, direction,etc. File reference information may be used to identify a selected mediaelement stored in the file system of the sending WTRU 101 that is theobject of the data communication.

Directional inputs provided by the user via the touchscreen/display 109may be synthesized to establish relative orientation to the real-timelocal map and select a target WTRU 101 _(c,t) from the identified groupof candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) to establish a one-to-one communicationbetween the transmitting WTRU 101 and the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) or aselected one-to-many communication to a plurality of target WTRUs 101_(c,t). In an example of a user input, an accelerometer associated withthe WTRU 101 may provide input regarding the orientation of the WTRU 101with respect to the real-time local map. For example, if the WTRU 101was held upside-down, the real-time local map would be referenced andapplied upside-down as dictated by the orientation of the sending WTRU101.

Other information 307 may be used as an input to the targetdiscrimination algorithm 313. For example, if the sending WTRU 101device is equipped with an accelerometer and supporting drivers, theorientation of the sending WTRU 101 may be used as input information307. Any type of other information 307 germane to the selection of atarget WTRU 101 _(c,t) may be used as an input to the targetdiscrimination algorithm 313.

Configuration information 309 may include settings for attributes suchas power level, antenna orientation, security parameters and the like.Transmission instructions 311 may include information regarding the datato be communicated and the identity of the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) aswell as instructions for implementing the transfer through specificcomponents in the communication peripheral. The configurationinformation 309 and transmission instructions 311 may be delivered tothe communication peripheral 107. The configuration information 309 andtransmission instructions 311 may impact the configuration of the Layer2/3 baseband components, (e.g., the power settings), and/or the analogand radio frequency components, (e.g., antenna orientation of thecommunication peripheral 107). The application processor 105 in thesending WTRU 101 may control the manner in which the data is transferredto the target WTRU 101 _(c,t), for example, by breaking the data intoblocks corresponding to the manner in which the visual depiction of thedata should appear at the target WTRU 101 _(c,t). This control mayinvolve the appending of some segmentation/display guidance informationto the file blocks that may be used at the target WTRU 101 _(c,t)receiver to help render the visual depiction in a synergistic mannerwhich is described in more detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 7.

FIG. 4 shows a method of identifying a target WTRU 101 _(c,t) for a datacommunication with multiple WTRUs. Environment information 301 issolicited and information related to at least one candidate WTRU 101_(c) operating in the local area of the sending WTRU 101 is detected401. A user input is received 403, for example, through atouchscreen/display UI 109, wherein the user input is related to thecommunication of data from the sending WTRU 101 to at least onecandidate WTRU 101 _(c). The user input and the environment informationrelating to the candidate WTRUs 101 _(c) is processed simultaneously405. For example, in a target discrimination algorithm 313 as describedin FIG. 3. At least one target WTRU 101 _(c,t) is identified from theset of candidate WTRUs 407. The target WTRU 101 _(c,t) is identified atleast in part on the user input received and the environment information301 detected.

Physical layer security mechanisms may be applied to establish theenvironment information 301 as well as securing the data for short rangedata communication between WTRUs 101. The data may be transferred onlyas far as is necessary to reach a minimal set of users in the localenvironment of the sending WTRU 101. The target discrimination algorithm313 may be configured to secure the file from beyond a local group (i.e.the local environment of the sending WTRU 101) and excluding others. Oneexample of achieving this is a secure data transfer based on thereciprocity of the wireless channels between the sending WTRU 101 andthe target WTRU 101 _(c,t). The uniqueness and reciprocity of thewireless channel may be utilized to accomplish this in two steps. First,the location information for a particular WTRU 101 is associated with achannel impulse response (CIR) from that WTRU 101, which is unique,albeit variable. The CIR may be used to generate a secret key stream forthat location. A more detailed description of such a secret keyencryption may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/339,958which is herein incorporated by reference. A common cipher source, forexample, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), may be seeded with the key,and the information for the target WTRU 101 _(c,t) is encrypted with it.Alternatively or in addition, the CIR based information may be used toauthenticate the message. The result is that only the selected targetWTRU 101 _(c,t) may receive the data, because only the target WTRU 101_(c,t) has the required channel-based key.

FIG. 5 shows an implementation of physical layer security for datacommunication between multiple WTRUs 101. The static (or slowlychanging) physical location 501 of WTRUs 101 operating in the localareas 211, 213 and their respective radio channels 503 are input to alocations and channels association unit 505 that associates thelocations 501 and the channels 503 of each WTRU 101 operating in thelocal areas 211, 213. Dynamic receiver information 507 relating to theCIR of each communicating WTRU 101 is used by channel-based keydistillation unit 509, which continuously generates channel-basedencryption keys for each WTRU 101 in the local environment. Whenrequired by a user, as indicated by touchscreen information 513, atarget WTRU 101 _(c,t) may be identified from an available listing ofcandidate WTRUs 101 _(c) by the dynamic target matching algorithm 515.The dynamic target matching algorithm 515, receives input from thelocations and channels association unit 505, the channel-basedencryption keys 509, and the touchscreen information 513, and thedirectional information 511 of the sending WTRU as inputs to identifyone or more target WTRUs 101 _(c,t) as the recipient(s) of the datacommunication. Transmission instructions 517 are generated to facilitatethe data transfer to the target WTRUs 101 _(c,t).

Referring now to FIG. 6, a user input action for sending a file toanother device is shown. The data transfer may take place from a sendingWTRU 101 as shown in FIG. 1. The sending WTRU 101 may use an applicationsuch as TapAPP 123 to facilitate the data transfer. The sending WTRU 101may have a touchscreen/display device 109 through which an end user mayprovide input information to the sending WTRU 101. The transferapplication (TapAPP 123) may be running on the sending WTRU 101. As anexample, TapAPP 123 may be configured to receive a simple three stephand (or finger) motion to enable the data transfer. The three stepsinclude a tap 6A, a push action 6B, and a release action 6C. Referringto 6A, the user taps 605 the touchscreen 109 at a location on thetouchscreen 109 where a visual depiction 603 of a media element to betransferred is displayed. Without lifting the finger used to tap 605 thevisual depiction 603, the user then pushes the visual depiction 603 ofthe media element across the touchscreen 109 as shown by the directionalarrow 607 in FIG. 6B. In an embodiment, the direction in which the userpushes the visual depiction 603 may simulate the direction of a targetreceiving WTRU 101 _(c,t) which is the intended recipient of the mediaelement to be transferred. The media element may be any type of datafile capable of being stored on the WTRU 101, for example, the mediaelement may be a digital photograph, a video file, a word processingdocument or the like. When the user has pushed the visual depiction 603of the media element in the direction the user would like the mediaelement to be transferred, the user then releases 609 contact with thevisual depiction 603 to initiate the data transfer. The three useractions 6A, 6B, and 6C, provide inputs to the touchscreen 109, which maybe converted to electromechanical signals through mechanisms known inthe art. The electromechanical signals may serve as input to the TapAPP123 application, which may generate environmental information andtransmission instructions relating to a target WTRU 101 _(c,t) selectedby TapAPP in a manner explained above with respect to FIG. 3. Theenvironmental information 301 and transmission instructions 311 are thenprocessed by the WTRU 101 and the media element is transmitted 611.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are an illustration of a data transfer depicted from theperspective of both a sending WTRU 101 and a receiving WTRU 103. Thedata transfer is a process between two or more WTRUs. For example, thedata transfer may originate from one sending WTRU 101 and be directedtoward one or more receiving WTRUs 103. As seen in FIG. 7A, the mediaelement being transferred in this example is a digital photograph. Avisual depiction 603 may be displayed on the touchscreen/display 109.The sender may touch the touchscreen 109 and push 707 the visualdepiction 603 of the digital photograph in the direction of the intendedreceiving WTRU 103. A receiving WTRU 103 may run TapAPP 123 to enablethe receiving WTRU 103 to receive the transferred data. The receivingWTRU 103, for example, may be running TapAPP 123 in a receive mode. TheTapAPP 123 provides an indication 603 b or a prompt that a data transferis ready for receiving. To receive a file, the user may touch 701 thetouchscreen 109 to initiate reception of the data transfer. The user maytouch 701 the touchscreen 109 for the entire time the data transfer istaking place, or the user may touch 701 the touchscreen 109 for someportion of the time the data transfer is occurring.

During the transfer, the visual depiction 603 may be configured todisplay the progress of the data transfer to the user at one or both ofthe sending WTRU 101 and the receiving WTRU 103. As shown in FIG. 7A onthe sending WTRU 101 as visual depiction 603 a, the portion of the datatransfer remaining to be sent may be displayed on thetouchscreen/display 109 of the sending WTRU 101 as a partial visualdepiction 603 a of the digital photograph. As the data transferprogresses, the visual depiction 603 a is updated to indicate theremaining amount of data to be transferred. Similarly, at the receivingWTRU 103, a visual depiction 603 b may be displayed on thetouchscreen/display 109 of the receiving WTRU 103 to indicate to a userthe amount of the data transfer that has been transmitted to thereceiving WTRU 103. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the data transfer iscomplete, the visual depiction 603 is displayed in its entirety at thereceiving WTRU 103. Upon receipt of the file, the user of the receivingWTRU 103 may release the touchscreen 109 and the receiving WTRU 103 maysend an application level acknowledgment to the sending WTRU 101. Thus,as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the user may observe the visual depiction603 a disappearing from the sending WTRU 101 while the visual depiction603 b is emerging on the receiving WTRU 103 in such manner that theoverall visual depiction 603 is preserved for the duration of the datatransfer. The underlying data transfer mechanism may prioritize thetransfer of data file elements to enable this user experience. In analternate embodiment, this user experience may be provided at theapplication level. The file may be transferred as a whole, but therendering aspect of the application on both the send and receive sidesof the data transfer creates the appearance of a progressive andcontiguous data transfer.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the user experience while sending a datatransfer in a direction of a targeted recipient. The same three stepprocess described in FIG. 6 is utilized where the sender taps 605 avisual depiction 603 of the selected media element. As shown in FIG. 8B,the sender then pushes the visual depiction 603 of the media element tothe right 801 which may simulate the physical direction with relation tothe sending WTRU 101 where an intended receiving WTRU 103 (not shown) isoperating. Based on the input information of the user, including thedirection 801 in which the sender pushed the visual depiction 603 of themedia element, the sending WTRU 101 may be configured to transmit thedata transfer in a direction 803 matching the direction of the useraction direction 801. The visual depiction 603 may be configured toindicate the progress of the data transfer and may accomplish this bycausing the visual depiction 603 to disappear from thetouchscreen/display 109 in the same direction as the user actiondirection 801. Antenna orientation may be utilized to control thetransmission direction 803.

FIG. 9 shows an illustration of a UI 109 being used to perform a datacommunication to multiple receiving WTRUs. The user may tap on a visualdepiction 903 of a media element selected for communication to areceiving WTRU as shown in FIG. 9A. As shown, the user may tap on thevisual depiction 903 multiple times 905. While in the example of FIG.9A, the user taps the visual depiction 903 twice, the user may tap thevisual depiction 903 any number of times corresponding to the intendednumber of receiving WTRUs. Upon performing a multiple tap 905, themaster visual depiction 903 will be split into a number of secondaryvisual depictions 907, 909 equal to the number of taps 905 of the user.This action by the user will lock the master visual depiction 903 whileallowing the secondary visual depictions 907, 909 to be manipulated bythe user via the UI 109. For example, with respect to FIG. 9B, a usermay use a two-hand, two finger motion to move secondary visual depiction907 in the direction of a first target WTRU, while simultaneously movingsecondary visual depiction 909 in the direction of a second target WTRU.The user may also use a single-hand, single finger motion to move eachsecondary visual depiction 907, 909 sequentially. Upon release of thesecondary visual depiction 907, 909, the data is communicated to atarget WTRU identified by the process described herein regarding FIG. 2.The secondary visual depictions 907, 909 may be smaller than the mastervisual depiction 903, or the secondary depictions may be the same sizeas the master depiction. Alternatively, the secondary depictions 907,909 may have a visually distinguishing feature that distinguishes themfrom the master depiction 903 to the user.

Although features and elements are described above in particularcombinations, each feature or element can be used alone without theother features and elements or in various combinations with or withoutother features and elements. The methods or flow charts provided hereinmay be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmwareincorporated in a computer-readable storage medium for execution by ageneral purpose computer or a processor. Examples of computer-readablestorage mediums include a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory(RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magneticmedia such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-opticalmedia, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatiledisks (DVDs).

Suitable processors include, by way of example, a general purposeprocessor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, amicrocontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integratedcircuit (IC), and/or a state machine.

A processor in association with software may be used to implement aradio frequency transceiver for use in a wireless transmit receive unit(WTRU), user equipment (UE), terminal, base station, radio networkcontroller (RNC), or any host computer. The WTRU may be used inconjunction with modules, implemented in hardware and/or software, suchas a camera, a video camera module, a videophone, a speakerphone, avibration device, a speaker, a microphone, a television transceiver, ahands free headset, a keyboard, a Bluetooth® module, a frequencymodulated (FM) radio unit, a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit,an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit, a digital musicplayer, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser,and/or any wireless local area network (WLAN) or Ultra Wide Band (UWB)module.

1. A method for controlling communication of data in wirelesscommunications, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU),the method comprising: detecting, at the WTRU, environment informationrelating to at least one candidate WTRU operating in a local areaassociated with the WTRU; receiving, at the WTRU, user input thatindicates at least a direction and a selection of data for transferbetween the WTRU and a target WTRU; processing, at the WTRU, the userinput and the environment information; identifying, at the WTRU, atleast one candidate WTRU as the target WTRU based at least in part onthe user input; and, transmitting the data to the target WTRU.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein detecting environment information comprises:detecting, at the WTRU, a service supported by the at least onecandidate WTRU; establishing a radio dialog between the WTRU and the atleast one candidate WTRU; analyzing, at the WTRU, a signal received fromthe candidate WTRU; and transmitting or receiving, at the WTRU, detectedservice information to or from and the at least one candidate WTRU. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the service is detected by a ServiceDiscovery Protocol (SDP).
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein analyzingthe signal received by the candidate WTRU is based on the power level ofthe received signal.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein analyzing thesignal received by the candidate WTRU is based on the quality of thereceived signal.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting environmentinformation further comprises: performing, at the WTRU, a first radiussearch, wherein a first number of candidate WTRUs are detected;performing, at the WTRU, a second radius search based on the detectedfirst number of candidate WTRUs; and selecting, at the WTRU, a subset ofthe first number of candidate WTRUs, wherein the subset is selectedbased on service supported by each of the first number of candidateWTRUs.
 7. A method of communicating data in wireless communications,implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the methodcomprising: receiving, at the WTRU, user input; soliciting information,at the WTRU, related to at least one candidate WTRU operating in a localarea of the WTRU; constructing a real-time local map including relativeposition information for the at least one candidate WTRU; identifying,at the WTRU, a target WTRU based at least in part on the user input, thereal-time local map, and the solicited information from the at least onecandidate WTRU; generating, at the WTRU, environment information basedon the target WTRU; generating, at the WTRU, transmission instructionsbased on the target WTRU; and transmitting data to the target WTRU basedon the environment information and the transmission instructions.
 8. Themethod of claim 7 wherein the real-time local map includes relativelocation information relating to the at least one candidate determinedthrough a triangulation procedure.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein thereal-time local map includes relative location information relating tothe at least one candidate WTRU established through Global PositioningSystem (GPS) information.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein thereal-time local map is determined by a radio dialog defined by a servicediscovery protocol.
 11. A method of transmitting data implemented in awireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving,at the WTRU, a gestural user input, wherein the gesture is directedtoward a desired receiving WTRU; analyzing, at the WTRU, anelectromagnetic spectrum in a local area of the WTRU; identifying, atthe WTRU, at least one candidate WTRU operating in the electromagneticspectrum and the local area of the WTRU; processing, at the WTRU, theuser input to select a target WTRU from the identified at least onecandidate WTRU; and transmitting data to the target WTRU.
 12. A methodof data transfer implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU),the method comprising: soliciting, at the WTRU, environment informationrelating to active communication devices in a local area of the WTRU;selecting, at the WTRU, a media element stored in a file system of theWTRU; receiving, at the WTRU, a physical input from a user converting,at the WTRU, the physical input to an electromechanical signal;selecting, at the WTRU, a target WTRU based on the electromechanicalsignal and the environment information; generating configurationinformation and target transmission instructions based on the selectedmedia element; and transmitting the selected media element to theselected target WTRU based on the generated configuration informationand target transmission instructions.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the soliciting information is based on a configuration variablewhich indicates a search radius defining the local area of the sendingcommunication device.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the solicitinginformation is obtained periodically and on a condition that the sendingcommunication device enters a send operation.
 15. The method of claim12, wherein soliciting information relating to active communicationdevices is performed through a mesh network or a sensor network.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein receiving a physical input from the user isperformed through a touchscreen.
 17. The method of claim 12, whereinreceiving a physical input from the user comprises: detecting the usertouching a user interface; sensing a motion of the user's touch;detecting a release of the user's touch.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein detecting the user touching the user interface includesdetecting the user touching a visual representation of the identifiedmedia element.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting a receivingcommunication device comprises: receiving an electromechanical signal,which indicates a direction of the motion of a the user', touch by theuser; analyzing the solicited information based on active communicationdevices in the local area of the sending communication device;identifying a target receiving device located in a direction of themotion of the user's touch; and selecting the target receiving devicefor transmitting the selected media element.
 20. A wirelesstransmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a processor configured todetect environment information relating to at least one candidate WTRUoperating in a local area associated with the WTRU; a display configuredto receive user input that indicates at least a direction and aselection of data for transfer between the WTRU and a target WTRU; theprocessor configured to: process the user input and the environmentinformation; and identify at least one candidate WTRU as the target WTRUbased at least in part on the user input; and a transmitter configuredto transmit the data to the target WTRU.
 21. The WTRU of claim 20,wherein the user input is a gestural input.
 22. The WTRU of claim 21,wherein the gestural input indicates the at least one direction, and theat least one direction is directed towards the target WTRU.
 23. The WTRUof claim 20, wherein the display is a touchscreen.